My Little Pony #11
(W) Casey Gilly (A/CA) Abby Bulmer
In Shops: Apr 05, 2023
SRP: $3.99
Spooky! Scary! Ahh!!! are all words that can be used to describe the latest video game going viral. Pipp, never one to shy away from a trend, persuades her friends to play with her. But as the game gets creepier, it starts to come to life! Can the Mane Five survive the fright of their lives?
Dungeons & Dragons: Ravenloft – Orphan of Agony Isle
(W) Casey Gilly (A/CA) Bayleigh Underwood
In Shops: Mar 15, 2023
SRP: $17.99
DISCOVER the Demiplane of Dread! In her castle laboratory, D&D’s own mad scientist, Dr. Viktra Mordenheim, performs experiments testing the bounds of science and magic!
THRILL to a Castle of Horrors! Following a terrible accident, Miranda awakens in Schloss Mordenheim under the questionable care of the definitely-not-lawful-good doctor, with no memory of who she is. Desperate to learn about her past, she soon begins to question what she is told and test the strictures placed upon her. Gentle Reader, the truth she uncovers will shock and disturb you!
SHUDDER at a Menagerie of Monsters! A collection of lab notes detail the tragic fates of Ravenloft’s unfortunate inhabitants, in a collection of supplementary stories by writers Casey Gilly, Ryan Cady, and Ro Mediavilla, and artists Corin Howell, Vincenzo Riccardi, and Kayla Felty. We must caution you, Dear Reader, these are not tales for the faint of heart!
Dungeons & Dragons: Ravenloft – Orphan of Agony Isle
(W) Casey Gilly (A/CA) Bayleigh Underwood
In Shops: Mar 15, 2023
SRP: $17.99
DISCOVER the Demiplane of Dread! In her castle laboratory, D&D’s own mad scientist, Dr. Viktra Mordenheim, performs experiments testing the bounds of science and magic!
THRILL to a Castle of Horrors! Following a terrible accident, Miranda awakens in Schloss Mordenheim under the questionable care of the definitely-not-lawful-good doctor, with no memory of who she is. Desperate to learn about her past, she soon begins to question what she is told and test the strictures placed upon her. Gentle Reader, the truth she uncovers will shock and disturb you!
SHUDDER at a Menagerie of Monsters! A collection of lab notes detail the tragic fates of Ravenloft’s unfortunate inhabitants, in a collection of supplementary stories by writers Casey Gilly, Ryan Cady, and Ro Mediavilla, and artists Corin Howell, Vincenzo Riccardi, and Kayla Felty. We must caution you, Dear Reader, these are not tales for the faint of heart!
Buffy the Last Vampire Slayer Special #1
(W) Casey Gilly (A) Joe Jaro (CA) Ario Anandito
In Shops: Mar 01, 2023
SRP: $7.99
It’s been 4 years, and Buffy, Angel, and Thess have been living in relative peace as a dysfunctionally cozy family. But nothing can last forever…
Tara might not be dead, but they’re losing hope for her staying among the living, and strange new vampires have been sighted.
To get to the bottom of these unfolding horrors, our gang will have to head underground… and face the horrifying true cause of the decline in vampire activity!
Chilling Adventures Presents… Betty: The Final Girl
Script: Micol Ostow, Casey Gilly, Sam Maggs
Art: Laura Braga, Natalie Nardozza, Carola Borelli
Colors: Matt Herms
Letters: Jack Morelli
Cover: Laura Braga
Variant Cover: Megan Hutchison
On Sale Date: 2/15
32-page, full color comic
$3.99
Veronica has invited Betty to her luxurious mountaintop chalet for a cozy weekend of skiing. But their girls weekend is interrupted when Archie shows up and whisks Veronica off on their own snowy romantic adventure. What could go wrong at a fancy remote cabin in the mountains all by herself? Betty’s mind races and she can’t tell fact from fiction as she suddenly realizes she might not be so alone. Is Betty believing too much in the horror movies she’s watched, or is someone (or something) really out to get her? Find out in this BRAND NEW horror anthology one-shot that‘s equal parts Scream and When a Stranger Calls.
It feels like forever ago, but Archie Comics really shook things up by willing to lean into taking their characters in new, more adult, directions. One of their successes was the Archie Horror line which has released some fantastic comics that do the horror genre justice. Betty: The Final Girl #1 is part of that line, and maybe because it is, it feels like it falls short of that imprints high bar.
Featuring a series of short stories, Betty: The Final Girl #1 plays off more as humor than real solid horror. The story has Betty falling asleep and dreaming up some horror stories while Veronica gets food. While the stories entertain, they also don’t scare, taking on a more of a silly tone. Micol Ostow, Casey Gilly, and Sam Maggs each take turns with shorts that sort of play on a well known franchise but never quite leans into them. The result is more spoof than love letter never quite committing to real scares. Part of the problem is the stories are themselves so short it’s hard to build up the tension that horror relies so much on.
The art by Laura Braga, Carola Borelli, and Natalie Mardozza is pretty good and teases at what could have been. There’s some blood and teases of guts but it never quite fully commits to it all. Like the stories themselves, it’s all a little rushed and the details are never the focus. The trio of artists are joined by Ellie Wright and Matt Herms on color and lettering by Jack Morelli. Overall, the art emphasizes the more lighthearted nature of the stories which are much more on the laughs than the scares.
Having Betty at the center of a classic slasher story has a lot of potential. And, I thought we might get that, but the shorts are her dreaming of others as opposed to a story where we wonder what’s real and what’s not. Betty: The Final Girl #1 misses the mark a bit never fully committing to its horror roots and delivering stories that are far too short for the genre. There’s attempts to build up tension before the cathartic confrontation but things never get to the level where it really works. Horror often feels like a carnival ride with ups and downs but Betty: The Final Girl #1 feels more like the kids ride. There’s something there but you realize there’s far better things out there.
Story: Micol Ostow, Casey Gilly, Sam Maggs Art: Laura Braga, Carola Borelli, Natalie Mardozza
Color: Ellie Wright, Matt Herms Letterer: Jack Morelli
Story: 6.75 Art: 7.5 Overall: 6.75 Recommendation: Pass
Archie Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
Purchase: Zeus Comics – comiXology/Kindle
Chilling Adventures Presents… Betty: The Final Girl
Script: Micol Ostow, Casey Gilly, Sam Maggs
Art: Laura Braga, Natalie Nardozza, Carola Borelli
Colors: Matt Herms
Letters: Jack Morelli
Cover: Laura Braga
Variant Cover: Megan Hutchison
On Sale Date: 2/15
32-page, full color comic
$3.99
Veronica has invited Betty to her luxurious mountaintop chalet for a cozy weekend of skiing. But their girls weekend is interrupted when Archie shows up and whisks Veronica off on their own snowy romantic adventure. What could go wrong at a fancy remote cabin in the mountains all by herself? Betty’s mind races and she can’t tell fact from fiction as she suddenly realizes she might not be so alone. Is Betty believing too much in the horror movies she’s watched, or is someone (or something) really out to get her? Find out in this BRAND NEW horror anthology one-shot that‘s equal parts Scream and When a Stranger Calls.
Buffy ’97
(W) Jeremy Lambert, Casey Gilly, Danny Lore, Lilah Sturges (A) Marianna Ignazzi, Bayleigh Underwood, Claire Roe (CA) Jenny Frison
In Shops: Nov 16, 2022
SRP: $14.99
While it’s a flashback to the 90s, this isn’t any old rerun…
Buffy and Willow are trapped in a retro reality, can they find their way out of the demonic labyrinth of clothes, soft drinks, ads, and makeup, and discover the evil that put them there?
And for long-time Buffy fans to sink their fangs into-a selection of classic Buffy comics from the 90s!
Collects the Buffy ’97 one-shot as well as stories previously published in the Buffy 25th Anniversary Special, along with a curated selection of classic bonus material!
The Return of Chilling Adventures in Sorcery
Script: Eliot Rahal, Sina Grace, Casey Gilly
Art: Vincenzo Federici, Corin Howell, Liana Kangas
Colors: Matt Herms, Glenn Whitmore
Letters: Jack Morelli
Cover: Julius Ohta
Variant Cover: Francesco Francavilla
On Sale Date: 10/26
32-page, full color comic
$3.99 U.S.
Madam Satan escaped Hell a fugitive and hated woman by Satan and his thralls. She’s now principal of Baxter High and Hell has come to Earth. With each classroom acting as a portal to the different circles in Hell, Madam Satan must recruit similar tortured souls if she has any chance of survival… all leading up to a Madam Satan and her army vs. Satan and his in this highly-anticipated follow-up to last year’s hit Chilling Adventures in Sorcery!
Dungeons & Dragons: Ravenloft – Orphan of Agony Isle #4
(W) Casey Gilly (A) Lisa Sterle (A/CA) Bayleigh Underwood
In Shops: Oct 05, 2022
SRP: $3.99
Secrets are revealed! Miranda discovers the truth of her past and confronts her supposed guardian, Viktra. Will she have the courage to set herself free? What other memories will come flooding back to her? Will Viktra and Elise finally bury the hatchet? Or will they just bury each other?
